The Indifferent Ex-Husband: Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate novel Chapter 286

On the way back, Sophia and Louis were among those sharing a ride in the same car.

Gerald was behind the wheel, with Rachel riding shotgun.

Sophia joined Louis and Renata in the back seat.

Maybe it was the comfort of being in the car, but Renata's grip on Sophia's hand relaxed a lot. She just held Sophia's hand gently in hers, caressing it back and forth without a word, just looking at Sophia with this mix of heartache and nostalgia.

Sophia felt a bit awkward under her gaze, kind of like she was wearing someone else's shoes.

Louis noticed her discomfort and softly reassured her, saying.

"Sweetheart, don't mind it. Yoli is my granddaughter. She got lost when she was just a kid, and after searching for over a decade, we never found her. My wife always kept her in her thoughts, especially these past few years with the disease setting in. She forgot everyone but always remembered her missing granddaughter."

Sophia gave an awkward chuckle, not quite sure how to respond.

Louis went on. "We finally found her two years ago, but by then, Renata had lost all her memories. She couldn't even recognize her own granddaughter standing right in front of her. Now, she goes up to any young girl she sees on the street to see if it's her. She probably mistook you for Yoli because you two are around the same age."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Renata blurted out a scolding, "Nonsense, she is my Yoli."

Seeing Renata getting agitated again, Louis quickly wrapped his arm around her shoulder, soothingly saying, "Alright, alright, she is Yoli. Don't get upset; getting worked up is bad for your health."

Eventually, Renata settled down again, naturally leaning on Louis's shoulder.

Sophia looked at the loving couple and felt a pang of envy.

"As a couple, you have such a great relationship," she couldn't help but remark.

"Thank you," Louis said, accepting her compliment, but then his expression turned a bit wistful and regretful, "Unfortunately, after she fell ill, she forgot everything."

Seeing his downcast look, Rachel turned to comfort him, "Dad, don't worry. Didn't Martin say he's going to recreate all the places you and mom visited when you were young in the estate over the next two years? Maybe that will help Mom remember some things."

Sophia paused and looked at Rachel.

Rachel smiled at Sophia and explained.

"My parents have always been so in love. They traveled to many places together when they were young, and that's where they fell for each other.

"A few years ago, they were planning to revisit those places to rekindle those memories, but before they could even set off, my dad almost had a stroke. He couldn't make the trip, and by the time he got a bit better, my mom had developed Alzheimer's and forgot everything except for a few spots where they had made their sweetest memories.

"Dad wanted to take her there again, but neither of them can handle the strain of travel anymore, so he thought of fulfilling a promise they made when they were young: to recreate those special places in the estate to see if that could trigger some of her memories."

As she spoke, Rachel pulled out an old photo album from the pocket behind the back seat. "Look, these are all the places they've been. My mom doesn't remember anything now, but she still treasures this album and takes it everywhere."

Sophia took the album Rachel handed her.

It was similar to the one Martin had shown her the other day, but this album was obviously reprinted more recently and looked newer.

As she flipped through the album, it was clear that the couple was very sweet together.

She glanced over at the two old folks.

Two neighboring villas sat in the dark, their black iron fences overgrown with morning glories, and the yards' lush greenery spilling out over the boundaries.

The villa on the left was dark, looking a bit rundown, and overgrown with weeds, clearly uninhabited for some time.

The villa on the right, however, still had lights shining through.

These two villas didn't have walls or fences separating them like the others. Instead, they stood open to each other.

One side derelict, the other alive with warmth, the contrast gave the left side an air of desolate decay.

Whether it was the facade of the villas, the style of the fences, or the thick, uneven growth of the trees, everything bore the mark of an era, as if viewed through a filter of the years.

Sophia stared at the two villas. Her gaze drifted from the lit villa to the dilapidated, unoccupied one next door. Her feet, as if of their own accord, led her unconsciously towards it.

Rachel, who had turned back, noticed Sophia's strange behavior and called out to her in confusion, "Sophia?"

She remembered this girl had just introduced herself as "Sophia."

Sophia looked back, her expression bewildered, tears welling in her eyes, but her entire demeanor was vacant and dazed, as if she had lost her soul, unaware of where she was.

Rachel, startled by her reaction, rushed over in concern, "Sophia, what's wrong?"

Sophia was snapped back to reality for a sec when someone grabbed her arm and it hurt like hell, but she was still out of it, just staring blankly at Rachel in front of her and the worried faces of others coming over. Her gaze drifted aimlessly over the sea of strange yet concerned faces before landing on the rundown yard. No idea why, but suddenly her nose got all tingly, and bam, the tears just started pouring down like there was no tomorrow.